Mars (planet No. 4) is closing in on Venus (planet No. 2), night by night as the curious on Earth (planet No. 3) watch from afar. Jupiter (planet No. 5), to their backs, will follow suit in a few months with its own close encounter with the second planet from the sun.

It’s good to be able to plan ahead. I’ve been sitting here thinking about my top-10 list for the films of 2015. “Jupiter Ascending” has already secured a spot on it. Written and directed by the Wachowskis, it’s the follow-up to the amazing but, for...

Right from the opening scene of the Russian language “Leviathan,” when an aerial shot shows lights coming on at dawn in homes throughout a little coastal town on the Barents Sea, you just know this is going to be a slow, brooding movie (it’s also...

Satisfy your curiosity about the world around you by downloading some of our favorite science apps for your smartphone. Read daily science facts, keep up with the headlines, turn your phone into a scientific instrument and learn about some...